WEST BABYLON, N.Y. – The bracket for the East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship is now set after the conclusion of regular-season play earlier today.
Tournament action begins on Wednesday, March 6 with the first round at on-campus sites. After clinching the ECC Regular-Season Championship for a fifth straight year, Daemen will host the semifinals and final of the tournament at Lumsden Gymnasium on their campus in Amherst, N.Y. on Saturday, March 9, and Sunday, March 10.
This is the fifth year in a row the Wildcats (18-7, 13-3 ECC) have earned a first-round bye, the fourth straight season they have earned the No. 1 seed, and the third consecutive year they will serve as hosts of the final two rounds of the tournament. The Wildcats have excelled in postseason play in recent years, winning three of the past four ECC titles. They also advanced to the championship game the one time in that period they didn't cut down the nets.
Daemen will take on either No. 4 District of Columbia or No. 5 Staten Island in the semifinals. The Wildcats went 3-1 in regular-season competition against the pair, sweeping CSI and splitting with UDC.
District of Columbia (19-9, 11-5 ECC) is back in the tournament for the third year in a row and will host a first round match-up for the second straight season. The Firebirds will look to end a 10-year drought without a title, with their last and only ECC Championship coming in 2014.
Staten Island (10-17, 7-9 ECC) made its first-ever appearance in the conference tournament last year in their first season of Division II postseason eligibility after transitioning from Division III.
The Firebirds swept the pair of regular-season match-ups against the Dolphins with a 73-69 road win on January 20 and a 70-47 home win on February 17.
On the other side of the bracket, Mercy (19-8, 12-4 ECC) joins Daemen with a first round bye as the No. 2 seed. The Mavericks are back in the bracket for the fourth consecutive year and will host a tournament game for just the second time in program history. Mercy has never won an ECC title and is attempting to earn their first postseason victory since the 1991-92 season.
The Mavericks will play the winner of No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 6 D’Youville. Mercy went 3-1 against that opposition in the regular season, splitting with the Spartans and sweeping the Saints.
St. Thomas Aquinas (17-11, 11-5 ECC) holds the longest streak of consecutive ECC Championship appearances as the Spartans make their 10th straight trip to the conference postseason. STAC has won just one tournament title in that span, however, coming during the 2018 season, and finished runner-up a year ago.
In their first season eligible for the ECC postseason tournament, D'Youville (9-17, 7-9) grabs the final spot in the six-team field.
The Spartans swept the Saints in the regular season, going off for a 67-46 home win on January 21 and a 64-49 road win on February 18.
Follow Live
Each game of the championship will be broadcast live on the ECC Sports Network website. The games will also be available on the ECC Network app. Download the ECC Network app on any Apple or Android mobile device or on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku OTT streaming devices.
Twitter updates will also be available throughout the tournament, at @ECCSports. Tournament recaps, live stats, box scores, and all other pertinent tournament information will also be available on the tournament central page, available on the ECC website.
2024 East Coast Conference Women's Basketball Championship
First Round – Wednesday, March 6 at No. 3 and No. 4 seeds
No. 6 D'Youville at No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas
No. 5 Staten Island at No. 4 District of Columbia
Semifinals – Saturday, March 9 at Daemen (Amherst, N.Y.)
Winner of No. 5/No. 4 vs. No. 1 Daemen
Winner of No. 6/No. 3 vs. No. 2 Mercy
Final – Sunday, March 10 at Daemen (Amherst, N.Y.)
Semifinal winner vs. semifinal winner
Times TBA